Whatever it takes
by GallifreyanDemigoddess
Summary: Stuck between following her mother's diabolical plans for revenge or believing Ben when he claimed that she was free to decide for herself who she wanted to be, Rebekah realized she was already rotten, evil, damned- because she wanted nothing more than to have him all for herself, consequences be damned.
1. One

_**Disclaimer**: Descendants doesn't belong to me. Only parts of the plot, as well as some characters, are mine._

_English isn't my native language, so I apologize for the mistakes I might have._

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**Chapter 1**

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There was one thing that all kids, teenagers, and young adults had in common in the Isle of the Lost, and it was that their parents- be it main villains or mere sidekicks- wanted them to be carbon copies of who they once were.

Villains' forgotten ambitions and long-lost dreams were crushed by King Adam, who resurrected those that had previously perished (to make them to suffer a punishment worse than death itself) and forced all of them into the Isle of the Lost, where they lead very dystopian lives. But, being resilient as only villains could be, they all had their own plans (or rather, dreams) of escaping and getting their revenge; plans that they constantly voiced to their children, who had grown to realize that- in most cases- all that their parents ever cared for was for them to be just as despicable, cunning, traitorous, and evil as they once were. There was no love, no kindness, no compassion at all for the kids- only contempt and high expectancies.

Sixteen-years-old Rebekah was perfectly aware of the fact that her mother had planned what she deemed "the _perfect_ future" for her siblings and for herself, but life on the Isle was not easy.

Like, at all.

Stealing, cheating, and betraying was the norm, and all those who refused to lower themselves to those acts were to be crushed by the others.

Her mother, once a powerful and intelligent woman that worked for many, many, _many_ years as a Royal Advisor (and as an Empress, if only for a few days) had been forced to open her own store- where she sold many vials of a youth potion to other vain individuals (though in all reality it was merely sewer sludge; she would never share her youth potion with others, not even to gain money)- and had been stripped down of all royal positions by Maleficent, who had declared herself the sole ruler of the Isle.

A bit pretentious of her, Rebekah frequently thought with disdain, since there were other villains around the island that had done worse deeds than the old faery had- and others, such as her mother, that _deserved_ to rule due to their past history.

But even that wasn't fair there.

Life changed, however, with Prince (soon-to-be King) Benjamin's First Royal Proclamation.

Truth was, the young girl never expected to have to follow through the villainess' diabolical plans at only sixteen years old- and she also never expected to have been chosen over her siblings- Yzla, who was much smarter than her, and Zevon, who had an ambition that could rival their mother's- to be the one to help her with her evil plans.

It all started one boring, ugly day; which was just how all days could be described on the Isle.

Rebekah was walking down the street, having finished another dull day at Dragon Hall, and evading all those other annoying kids that tried to steer all the attention away from her. In the distance, she could hear the loud echo of a very familiar song:

_**I'm nothing like a kid next, like the kid next door.**_

_**I'm rotten to the...I'm rotten to the...**_

_**I'm rotten to the core.**_

Nose wrinkled, Rebekah stared at the four teenagers wreaking havoc through the crowded streets, knowing that their mischief was one of the few things that made them known amongst the other kids on the Isle. Her mother's store was just in the middle of the streets they'd deemed their turf, which meant that the young girl had grown used to their antics and their daily performances; it was almost entertaining, for lack of a better word.

Their little gang consisted of Carlos (son of Cruella de Vil), Jay (son of Jafar), Evie (daughter of the Evil Queen), and Mal (daughter of Maleficent). When thinking about them individually, the young girl didn't feel an ounce of terror coursing through her veins, but as a group they were to be treated cautiously.

"Sup, Rebekah," The shortest of the four caught a glimpse of her and grinned, throwing up a peace sing at her as he continued dancing, singing, and wreaking havoc with the others.

Rebekah laughed, but returned the gesture. "Sup, Carlos."

She walked past them, doing her best to tune out their song as she moved towards the purple store by the end of the street.

Her mother's store was the same as other stores around- awfully designed, disgustingly structured, and extremely overpriced. The walls on the outside had been painted with different shades of purple ("Because purple is the color of royalty, Rebekah,"), and were adorned with pictures of her mother's face from different angles; a detail that didn't attract much costumers, regardless of what her mother thought, ("How could it not? I'm gorgeous,"). By one of the windows, someone had vandalized the wall, drawing a very cute cat; a detail that caused the old villainess to rage against _anyone_ that _dared_ to laugh.

Rebekah entered the store, already knowing that it would be a long day at work, for there were two old villains fighting with Zevon, who stood behind the counter and glared at them.

"This potion that I brought does not work!" One of them snapped, throwing an empty vial against the counter.

"If it didn't work," Zevon sneered right back, eyes hardening, "Why did you drink it all?"

Rebekah moved to join him behind the counter, irritated already and wanting nothing more than to take out her exhaustion and anger out on those annoying old ladies, but Yzla appeared from the back, looking almost upset.

Rebekah frowned. "What's the matter?"

"You-" Yzla seemed ready to jump her older sister, but then she composed herself, pushing a crumpled paper into her sister's chest. "Read for yourself. Mom is expecting you in the back." With no other word, she passed by Rebekah's side and joined Zevon behind the counter.

Confused and curious, the oldest teenager wasted no time, and straightened the paper, quickly reading once she recognized the designs that adorned the paper. It was a royal letter from Auradon.

_His Royal Majesty, Prince Ben of Auradon, for his First Official Proclamation, has decided that the children on the Isle of the Lost will be given a chance to live and start over in Auradon. __The villain kids will be given a full scholarship to study at Auradon Prep up until they graduate, and, if they present the qualities necessary for it, they will be granted citizenship._

_As the project has only just begun, exclusively five kids have been chosen._

_Hereby, we congratulate and request your company, child of Yzma, for the current academic year at Auradon Prep. Please notify the royal majesty immediately of your response._

And, almost at the end of the letter, there was a different handwriting, one that read the following:

_I believe everyone, regardless of the family they were born into, should be given the opportunity to grow and achieve their goals in a positive environment such as Auradon. This is your choice, I will understand if you'd rather remain on the Isle, but I do hope you know that we'd love you to join us at Auradon Prep._

_Sincerely, Prince Ben._

Rebekah stared hard at the letter for a long moment, completely lost. Glancing up, she saw her siblings staring right back at her.

"I-" She started, still not fully processing what the letter meant. "I don't understand."

"It's rather clear, sister," Zevon snapped. "Or are you daft? Do you need us to draw you a little map to understand? The future _King_ wants to make villain kids into little princes and princesses- and _you_ were chosen to be part of that little experiment."

The oldest teenager narrowed her eyes, "But it only says child of Yzma, it doesn't specify which of us was invited."

"Mom chose you," Yzla supplied, and though her eyes remained as hard as ever, there were traces of a smile on her face.

Zevon, on the other hand, openly portrayed his envy and anger. "Why, I will never understand," He snarled, looking down at her as though she were nothing to him. It stung a little, but it was what she had grown used to- it was how things were on her family. "I was the better choice."

"That was for mom to decide," Yzla reminded him, rolling her eyes as she turned away from both. "And she chose Rebekah. Not you, and not me. Get over yourself and help me deal with this stupid register."

Rebekah allowed her irritation to get the best of her, glancing down at the letter she remained holding as she demanded in cold voice: "Is this supposed to be a joke of some sort?"

It was too good to be true.

Auradon was, literally, the place no one from her generation ever imagined to be able to go to. The Isle was a horrible, horrible place to live at, and, in comparison, Auradon was the heaven, the utopia, that every young villain secretly craved and dreamed about. Sure, being surrounded by spoiled, pampered princes and princesses that had everything handed to them and that had never gone through anything remotely difficult on their lives would most certainly be annoying, but that also meant that she would get to live in a place where no one had to fight to have something- there would be no need to steal to be able to eat, nor would it be necessary be constantly on guard at all times, expecting the worse.

Auradon…it promised an easier, better life; and that was too good to be true.

It couldn't be true.

She did not want to allow herself to feel any kind of hope, because she had learnt the hard way that villains could never have such opportunities just handed to them.

There had to be an ulterior motive for the Prince to make such an extreme decision about the children of the villains that had once terrorized the whole world, destroying lives and taking away people's happy endings. Rebekah was sure of it. No one (and certainly not a future King) could be _that_ kind.

Their mother's shrill voice rang out, interrupting any kind of answer that her siblings could've given her. "Rebekah, what are you waiting for? Come down here immediately."

She flinched, her irritation melting as she immediately did as her mother said. Her siblings shared one last look, then both went back to ignoring each other as much as they could, as it had always been between them, and concentrated on the task at hand: making those idiot villains believe the potions they sold actually worked.

Rebekah hadn't even properly crossed the doorway that gave to the store's back room when she felt stone-cold fingers wrapping themselves around her wrist. She flinched again, but forced a smile into her face as she turned to meet her mother's expectant- yet excited- features.

"Hi, mom. Um, so, I just read the invitation-"

The ancient villainess had a gleam on her eyes, one that wasn't there before, "This is brilliant, brilliant, _**brilliant**_, I tell you!"

Throughout the course of the years, Yzma hadn't changed much. She remained being- as some of the other kids around the Isle would say- scary beyond all reason. Her figure was as slender and thin as it had always been, though her face had grown to look even more gaunt than ever, due to her old, old, old age. Her lips and nails were constantly painted a deep red, giving anyone that saw her the impression that she had painted them with blood. Her clothes varied from days, but it was always as eccentric and dramatic as it had been on her youth. She wore long, floor-length gowns and adorned herself with large circular earrings, arm bands, headpieces, capes made out of feathers, and thus forth; she carried herself the same way that a royal would, with grace, elegance, and poise. Her eyes had hardened over the years, her glare becoming a full-on stare of pure hatred that had anyone that ever dared to look upon them shivering.

"A-and why is that?" Rebekah dared to ask; her mouth dry. She never expected her mother to find such an opportunity appealing, not when she constantly trash-talked every single royal figure from Auradon.

Yzma stopped, bewildered that her daughter would even ask that question, then remembered that they had different goals. She turned around until she was completely facing her oldest daughter, to then sigh as she attempted to find a way to manipulate her into doing what she wanted.

"Why, because I have big plans for you, dear."

The former Empress attempted to hide a smirk. Her oldest daughter was as beautiful as she had once been on her youth. She had long, dark curly hair that she kept tied up in a high ponytail at all times, and bright, amber-colored eyes that contrasted greatly against her olive skin. She wore a knee-length burgundy gown, accompanied with a black sleeveless leather vest that bore her family's logo on the back, black fingerless gloves, and black heels. She used long, black earrings and black arm bands; upon her head was a small headpiece of the same color of her gown. Her nails were painted with the same shade of her burgundy accessories and gown- she, like her siblings, had been taught to dress color coordinating everything and disregarding all other styles of clothing around the Isle that weren't similar to how a royal would dress. She was perfect, Yzma constantly thought, sometimes more envious than she would ever admit. Her perfect little daughter, so easy to control and influence.

Rebekah didn't dare question her mother. She had learnt the hard, painful way that nothing good ever came out of interrupting the villainess when she was plotting against someone. It never ended well, for anyone. The young girl hid her hopes as she asked: "Does that mean I'll be going to Auradon?"

Yzma took a moment to observe her daughter, an impatient sigh leaving her mouth. "Of course, Rebekah. How else are you supposed to become an Empress if you don't leave the Isle?"

There was a moment of silence as the young girl processed her words, then, as startled as she felt, Rebekah merely allowed herself a tilt of her head to show her confusion.

"How exactly do you plan on me becoming an Empress?" She questioned, unimpressed with the fact that her mother remained obsessed with the thought of ruling somewhere. The next words that came out of her mouth, however, were ones she instantly regretted saying, "If I'm not mistaken, the only empire is Kuzco's and he is-"

"_Alive_," Yzma snarled, gaunt cheeks reddening and eyes hardening with pure hatred as she recalled the hideously pampered young Emperor that she had the displeasure of knowing. When she saw her daughter flinch, she forced herself to appear almost calm and collected, not wanting to upset her further. "But that won't be a problem for much longer."

Rebekah mask of stoicism fell away, her face portraying how shocked she felt. "You want me to- you want me to-"

_How weak_. Yzma hid her annoyance as she watched the green-eyed girl struggle to get the word out. "Kill him? Not necessarily, my dear. There are other ways to do what is necessary to fulfill our destiny."

"Other ways?" Rebekah narrowed her eyes. "Our destiny?"

"You are a beautiful girl, far more than your sister could ever wish to be, and smarter than your brother. You take after your mother in that," She ignored how her daughter grimaced at that, because the old villainess remained believing she was drop-dead gorgeous, even as she had continued growing old through the decades, and continued, "Which is why _you_ will be the one to make me proud."

Rebekah breathed out, mouth slightly opening in shock as she heard those words. Yzma smirked, _Bingo!_

"Once you get to Auradon, it won't be difficult to find Kuzcotopia, where you will entrance the Emperor with your beauty, your wit, and intelligence and- oh dear, do not blush now, don't you want to make me proud?"

"Yes, but-"

Yzma lost her patience, grabbing fistfuls of Rebekah's jacket as she tried to shake some sense into her. "_**I need to be an Empress, girly!**_" And, a moment after realizing her slip-up, she laughed nervously, releasing her hold on her daughter and gingerly patting her cheek, "I mean, _you_ need to be an Empress. It's _**my**_ right- oh, ha, ha, I mean, _your_ right."

"But isn't Kuzco-" Rebekah couldn't hide her irritation, "Isn't he like, _super_ old? And most of all, married? Even if I find a way to dethrone him, there must be someone else in line waiting to rule over his empire."

"He never married, he never found someone worthy of his time after that peasant Malina rejected him," Yzma looked pleased, remembering how easy it had been to break them apart from each other, back when she had disguised herself as the principal of the school they attended. "There's no one else in line- and he's only thirty-eight years old."

Rebekah felt distraught at the realization that her mother, who never seemed to be able to remember when their birthdays were, knew without any kind of trouble how old Kuzco was.

"And you want _me_, a sixteen-years old, to somehow gain a forty-years old man's trust to then dethrone him?"

"Exactly. However, there are multiple ways to gain what we want. If it doesn't work the first time, I believe you'll find a way to make him trust you enough to make you his second-in command, just as I was. And then-" Yzma cackled, eyes gleaming dangerously, "And then, you will kill him and become the sole Empress of the Empire."

Rebekah's mouth felt suddenly dry. Didn't her mother say she _didn't_ have to kill him? That there were _other_ ways? "But, mother-"

Yzma interrupted her, "You do that, and you'll make me exceptionally proud."

There was no room for any other kind of argument, for which the young girl looked down as she tried not to show how anxious the plan had made her, and said a dull: "All right, mother."

The villainess' thin fingers came into contact with her face, making her flinch once more, and she attempted to give her oldest offspring some comfort with her touch. She wasn't as heartless as others thought, she _did_ care about her children- Rebekah, Yzla, and Zevon- even if she would never put them before herself. She knew she was asking a lot from her daughter, but it was what needed to be done. Yzma needed to be able to get her revenge to feel complete- it was, as she previously thought, what needed to be done to right all the wrongs on their lives.

"That's my pretty little girl," Yzma cooed, eyes brightening, "I knew I could count on you."

It wasn't unusual for the villainess to portray some sort of affection to her children, but she had never looked at her in such a way before; it was almost as if she had finally seen her value. Rebekah felt uncomfortable, though extremely pleased that her mother seemed to trust her with something as important as avenging her. Inclining her head to silently thank her mother's trust, Rebekah waited for her to continue.

Her touch suddenly turned harsh, making Rebekah wince. Yzma forced her to mantain eye contact (not that she needed to, her daughter would never disrespect her mother by looking away without her permission first) then continued, "I just want you to become an Empress, as it is our family's right. Whatever it takes, child, don't forget that."

Rebekah nodded. "Whatever it takes."

Relief crossed Yzma's face, "That's my pretty little Empress-to-be." Instantly, she wrapped her arms around Rebekah, clumsily hugging her.

The door to the store's back room suddenly opened, which made mother and daughter push each other away, uncomfortable with the thought of someone else seeing them being affectionate, but the damage had been done. The youngest child of the villainess had seen them, and immediately deflated.

"Mother- _oh_."

"What do you want?"

"_I_ don't want anything," The young boy explained after shooting a venomous look at his sister, to then grow nervous as he realised he'd snapped at their mother. He paled, but explained his presence there, "Maleficent's goons came to leave a message for you both. You've been invited to Bargain Castle for a meeting. Said it was urgent."

"So we weren't invited," Rebekah crossed her arms over her chest. "We've been _ordered_ to go to her castle."

"No shit," Zevon directed her an icy glare.

"Oh, fuck you-" Rebekah started, losing her patience.

"Enough," Yzma snapped, which made both villain kids flinch. "If that's all, child, go back to the store and deal with the costumers," She patted the boy's head before he left, then turned towards her daughter. "Go pack your things for Auradon. Once you're done, we'll go and see what the stupid faery wants."

It didn't take her long to pack. Her mother always confiscated anything remotely nice that came their way (that the three of them managed to steal), claiming that she deserved those things more than them, so the young girl mostly packed some of her best clothes and jewellery, knowing she would still probably look out of place in Auradon.

After ordering her other kids to deal with the store, the villainess and her oldest daughter walked out of the store and into the crowded street. Walking the short distance that separated them from the town square, and afterwards dealing with the goons that worked for Maleficent, they found themselves entering Bargain Castle.

"What do you think she wants?" Rebekah narrowed her eyes, adjusting her backpack and glancing around cautiously.

The villainess grumbled under her breath about how unfair it was that the old faery lived in the largest building on the Isle, pretending to be their leader when she didn't know anything about ruling. Her daughter tuned out her words, knowing them from memory by then, and dedicated herself to continue observing her surroundings. It was the first time that she had been invited there, but it was just as she imagined it to be- dark, cold, and damp

Yzma finally acknowledged her question. Her eyes flickered up to meet her daughter's, and she continued, "If she thinks she has any decision whatsoever on whether or not you leave the Isle to go to Auradon, she's in for a surprise. You are going, and that's the end of it."

But Maleficent hadn't called them to forbid the young teenager from leaving- quite the contrary, actually.

There were other four villains with her when both Peruvians found them in what appeared to be a living room, because their children had also been selected by the future King. This pleased the young girl more than she would ever admit, because those chosen to go with her were actually _tolerable_\- she didn't know what she would've done if she would've been forced to go with someone as annoying as the Hook siblings, or the Gaston twins.

"What do you say, old _friend_?" Maleficent smirked at the villainess that she'd purposely taken the throne from, a detail that she never grew tired of reminding others. "Are you with us- or _against_ us?"

The other four stared at them, curious but uninterested at the same time.

"Oh," The older villainess forced a laugh, her face softening as she pretended to be delighted at the offer. "We are honored, Maleficent. Of course we're with you. Wouldn't miss such a perfect change to get our well-deserved revenge."

Maleficent's eyes bore into Rebekah, who merely inclined her head in agreement.

_I'm not exactly thrilled at the idea of stealing a stupid wand_, the young teenager wanted to say, _and I certainly do not plan on declaring any kind of loyalty for you, Maleficent_. But it was what needed to be done. It was better not to have any declared enemies on the Isle, especially if they were as influential and feared as Maleficent, Cruella, Jafar, and the Evil Queen.

In that moment, the four kids from before, Jay, Evie, Carlos, and Mal, were guided into the living room where the others awaited them. After voicing their annoyance at the situation- and their confusion at seeing Yzma and Rebekah there- they were told that the other girl had also been chosen.

"Well," Mal looked at her up and down, easily recognising her from Dragon Hall, but not knowing enough about her to be sure of how useful she could be. "Could've been worse, I guess."

Rebekah found herself doing the same with the others and giving them each a calculating look. "My thoughts exactly," Though she softened her eyes when they reached the white-haired boy, throwing a wink in his direction and receiving a smile in return.

"Guys," Carlos said then, clearly amused. "Relax, she's cool."

Mal glanced away, deciding to concentrate on her mother.

"Sup," Jay threw an arm around Rebekah's shoulders, who found herself smirking in his direction. "Long time no steal, shorty."

"Is there someone on the Isle that you _haven't_ stolen from?" Evie asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer to the question as she approached her mother's side and leaned down to stare at her perfect reflexion on the mirror she always carried around.

"When have I stolen from you?" Jay then frowned, not remembering if he had stolen something from the blue-haired girl before, "On second thought, don't answer that."

Maleficent seated herself on what she had deemed her 'throne', but which was, in all accounts, merely an old chair. Once everyone's attention was focused on her, she then proceeded to tell all of them the plans for world domination.

"-and with that wand and my scepter, I will be able to bond both good and evil to my will!"

"_Our_ will," The Evil Queen corrected, sternly.

Jafar and Jay turned to glance at Maleficent. Carlos fidgeted, but stole a glance at his mother, who nodded along with the Evil Queen.

"Yes, of course, our will," Maleficent corrected herself, waving her hand around to portray how unimportant it was. Mal gave her mother a pleading look, to which the old faery continued talking, "And if you refuse, you're grounded for the rest of your life, missy."

Mother and daughter seemed to have a stare-down with one another, both fighting to win. At last, Maleficent seemed to have a stronger hold on her daughter, because the young purple-haired girl sighed annoyedly, "_Fine_. Whatever."

The villains called aside their kids to talk to them, which seemed to be normal, but once they started listing off reasons for them not to leave, Rebekah found herself sharing a look with her mother.

_Couldn't they see how big this opportunity was? The Prince was allowing them to leave the Isle_! The old villainess, however, seemed to be bored out of her mind, observing their interactions disinterested, as one would watch two cockroaches fighting one another.

Maleficent snapped, "What is wrong with you all?" Having caught everyone's attention once more, she continued, "People used to cower at the mention of our names!"

Yzma frowned. She, unlike other villains, didn't particularly enjoy the realization that people had been taught to cower at the mention of her name. She wanted them to _worship_ her.

Maleficent continued her small monologue. "For twenty years, I have searched for a way off this island. For twenty-years, they have robbed us from our revenge. Revenge on Snow White and her horrible little men."

The Evil Queen made a sound of disgust.

Maleficent continued, attempting to motivate the others, "Revenge on Aladdin and his bloated genie!"

Jafar snarled, raising the spoon he held as though to attack someone, to which Jay immediately calmed him down.

Maleficent glanced at the oldest woman on the room, smirking as she taunted, "Revenge on Kuzco and that idiotic henchman of yours."

Yzma trembled with rage. Her wig fell of due to her abrupt movement, and she gave out a distressed sound. She never wanted people to know she used wigs; from before being stuck on the Isle, the only person that had seen her without hair was Kronk, but he had been too gentle and kind to make fun of her. The same couldnt be said about the habitants of the Isle. The others in the room sniggered disdainfully (though Jay groaned in disgust and Carlos winced at the sight), and Rebekah glared at them, moving to swiftly help her mother.

"Revenge on every sneaky dalmatian that escaped your clutches."

Cruella cackled crazily, "Oh, but they didn't get baby," She cradled the stuffed toy that she constantly had around her shoulders, "They didn't get the- they didn't get the baby!"

Carlos looked away, embarrassed and irritated all at once by his mother's behaviour.

"And I, Maleficent, the evilest of them all," The old faery continued, not noticing how the other villains seemed to roll their eyes at her words. Yzma, in particular, gave a disdainful scoff in her direction, not believing her to be- not even for one second- the _evilest_ of them all. "I will finally have my revenge on Sleeping Beauty and her relentless little prince. Villains!"

Cruella, The Evil Queen, Jafar, and Yzma chorused together a: "Yes?"

Evie, Jay, Mal, Carlos, and Rebekah shared a small look with one another.

"Our day has come."

The Evil Queen gave her daughter, Evie, her magic mirror, which was smaller than anyone had ever expected.

Maleficent gave her daughter an old spell-book, which made the oldest villainess in the room scoff- of course the old faery needed a spell-book to be able to cast any spell, it was _pathetic_.

Jafar pulled aside his son, Jay, to give him a few instructions of his own, something that Cruella also did with Carlos.

"I don't care about that stupid wand," Yzma whispered as she pulled her daughter aside, not wanting anyone else on the room to hear what she would say next. Her long, sharp red nails burying themselves on her skin. "I just want my revenge on Kuzco. You'll be Empress, as it is our family's right. Whatever it takes."

"I know, mother," Rebekah was perfectly aware of the fact that her mother had fooled the other villains into thinking she cared about the wand, wanting to be on their good side in case things did indeed go favorably for them. She also was aware of how important it was for her mother to have her revenge on the former llama, now an Emperor, that she had practically raised for many, _many_ years. "Whatever it takes."

Yzma's face broke into a smirk.

Whoever had been assigned to pick up the villain kids seemed impatient to leave the Isle as soon as possible, because immediately upon arrival, the car honked about three times before coming to a stop in front of Bargain Castle.

The villains quickly gathered their children one last time, repeating them the plan, to then hurriedly walk them downstairs and towards the limo.

Jay cheered, albeit a little sarcastically, "Let's get this party started."

Rebekah dubiously looked behind her shoulder to see her mother watching her. She hesitated, looking for a way to ask her mother to say goodbye to her siblings without sounding too nice or sentimental- she settled for muttering a dull: "Tell Yzla and Zevon that if they dare to touch any of my stuff, I'll break their legs once I come back."

Not knowing how to say goodbye to her mother, Rebekah uncomfortably turned and started to walk away, only to stop when her mother grabbed her elbow and pulled her closer. She startled once she felt her mother leave a quick kiss on top of her head, but it died away as she realized she had done it to be able to whisper one last thing without anyone noticing. "If you don't succeed on becoming an Empress, don't bother coming back home."

Rebekah felt breathless and suffocated all at once, her heart dropping, but she forced herself to nod. "Goodbye, mother."

The Evil Queen made a sound of disgust as she walked past them, seeing all the other villains that had gathered around the limo. Rebekah wasted no time, and entered the car without delaying it any further.

A few moments later, the other villain kids entered the car, all four of them seeming to be feeling different emotions, though for the longest of moments, none spoke. Their parents voices could still be heard, as the driver hadn't closed the door yet, and they were waiting to hear what they would last say to them.

"Urgh, smells like common folk," The Evil Queen and Yzma said at the same time, to then give each other a calculating look.

Jafar waved at them, "Bye-Bye."

"Bring home a puppy!" Cruella demanded.

"Bring home a prince!"

There was no need for Yzma to voice what she wanted- Rebekah _knew_.

In a similar way, Maleficent merely stared at the window where she could see her daughter. "_The future of the free world rests on your shoulders. Don't blow it, Mal!"_

The driver closed the door, then wasted no time on getting to the driver's seat, starting the car and immediately driving away.

Inside the limo, Rebekah found herself between Jay and Carlos, who had immediately moved to attack the food in front of them. Evie and Mal were across from them, both girls engrossed on their own things.

Aware of the fact that none would give her any attention whatsoever for the next couple of minutes, the young girl observed her surroundings. She had never been inside a car before, so she didn't know if there was any difference between a car and a limo, but she had to admit that she liked how it felt. She felt important- no one from the Isle had ever been inside such a modern vehicle; she could already imagine and bask on their envy.

Mad Maddy would, most certainly, be incredibly mad to know that _she_\- out of everyone else- had been given the opportunity to leave such a dreadful place. She found herself smirking, aware of the fact that she had always been ignored and pushed aside, and yet, _she_ had been one of the few selected to leave the Isle. The others were forced to be stuck there, forever.

And she was _free_.

Rebekah found herself looking at the other four villain kids chosen by the Prince to start over in Auradon, wondering how far they were willing to go to please their parents. She would do all on her power to make Yzma proud, but she couldn't lie and say that the thought of being finally free from her mother's influence wasn't one that tempted her.

For the first time on her life, Rebekah felt free.

There would be an endless sea, a magic barrier, and countless miles separating her from her mother. Meaning, the old villainess had no way of knowing if her daughter was doing as she wished. The young girl was tempted by the possibility of leaving it all behind and starting a new life, ignoring the diabolic plans that the others wanted her to participate in, and living for herself, doing as she wished and not as others wished, being her own person instead of the little perfect Empress-to-be that her mother wanted her to be.

Because she didn't want to be an Empress, and she certainly didn't want to kill anyone.

Life in Auradon _could_ be different.

But then, her mother's words came back to her, ("don't you want to make me proud?") and she found herself pushing all thoughts aside.

She _had_ to make her mother proud.

The others were stealing glances at her, for which she was forced to completely push her thoughts aside and turn sideways to look at them. Rebekah appeared unimpressed, but she knew she had to be cautious of them.

Their little gang had always been smaller than others around the Isle (like Uma's pirate crew, which was constantly growing in numbers, and Mad Maddy's little gang with the Gaston's, which was threateningly big nowadays) but it was because their leader, Mal, chose only _the best of the best_. Each of the four had something that made them valuable to the group- valuable for their plans- and consequently, dangerous.

"Did you all not learn that staring is rude?" Eyebrows raised, she saw Carlos smirk from the corner of her eyes, and knew it had been a good conversation-starter. She couldn't be nice to them; they were fellow villain kids, born and raised on the Isle as she had been. Rudeness was the only way they'd been taught to interact with one another, specially considering that they didn't trust one another.

"Well," Jay drawled, eyes on her necklace, which was long enough to go down her cleavage. A wolf-like grin covered his face as he shamelessly stared. "I, for once, _love_ the view."

Rebekah didn't take it the wrong way, even allowing herself to snort amusedly. Everyone knew that the son of Jafar, besides stealing everything in sight, flirted with everyone that came his way. She pushed his cheek, making him face to the other side, to the amusement of the other boy at her side. "Eyes off the treasure, flirty."

"Hey," Mal interrupted, intense green-eyes observing her. "So, you're that girl that never talks in school, right? Um, Yzla?"

"I told you guys she's cool," Carlos rolled his eyes, bumping his shoulder against the girl as he continued, "And, actually, she doesn't _stop_ talking once you get to know her." He was younger than the others, but intellectually above them in science classes, for his one true passion was technology. That's how he had met Rebekah, in one of the 'advanced' classes he took. "We had _weird science_ together last year."

"My name's Rebekah," She corrected Mal, though she had also looked at the younger boy almost fondly, something that the others didn't miss. "Yzla's my sister."

Evie glanced up from her bag, "Oh. I think we had _Selfishness 101_ together last semester, too."

Rebekah offered the blue-haired girl a small nod of recognition and a smile. "We did, you aced that class with flying colors, though. I always struggled with the weekly assignments of taking our own portraits- my mother always got in the way of those."

"You're kidding," Evie chuckled, her face brightening. "I _loved_ those assignments."

Mal looked between them, then rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well. None of that matters now, does it? I doubt we'll have classes similar to those ones in Auradon."

Evie swooned at the thought of Auradon, "Oh, I hope to share most my classes with handsome princes."

"So the thought of being around prissy princesses doesn't bother you?" Rebekah raised her eyebrows, only a little surprised.

Mal paused, having wanted to reply to Evie on a similar manner, then narrowed her eyes as she continued staring at the dark-haired girl, "You said Yzla's your sister. But that would also make you Zevon's sister. You're the oldest kid, then?"

Rebekah tilted her head to the side, wondering where she wanted to achieve by knowing about her family. She nodded curtly, "Sadly," She said at last, "Idiotic Zevon and boring Yzla are my younger siblings."

Such a statement made the purple-haired girl snort.

Evie giggled, remembering that the younger boy had always been slightly obsessed with the daughter of Maleficent, going as far as to follow her around as he professed his love for her.

Mal raised her eyebrows, and said in all seriousness, "My condolences."

The corner of Rebekah's lips curled into a smirk.

"Hey!" Carlos spoke over them, almost jumping over her to slap at Jay's shoulders, eyes wide as he gestured to the piece of candy that he had guided to his mouth just moments before. "You have to try these! It's salty like nuts, but sweet like I don't know what."

"Is that-" Rebekah hesitated at the description, not having seen, nor smelt, anything as alluring ever before. "_Chocolate_?" Without waiting for a moment longer, she grabbed a handful of the salty yet sweet circular things that the younger boy at her left side was talking about, and moaned once the taste melted into her mouth.

"No way," Jay slapped Carlos' hand away and grabbed a handful himself, delighted at the taste. "No leftover like this ever gets to the Isle."

Rebekah hummed, guiding another piece of whatever-that-salty-and-sweet-thing-was to her mouth, "Makes you wonder what other kind of shit we've been missing all these years, huh?"

"You don't seem too troubled with the thought of leaving the Isle," Mal noticed, almost accusingly. "You're almost eager, I'd say, not to mention that your mother- after years of openly hating on my mother- agreed to work with us in our plan."

Rebekah raised her eyebrows. "If you want to ask something, ask. Don't try to hint at it by implying things."

"What did your mom ask you to do?" Mal smirked at the startled look on her face, "It's obvious there's something else she's asked you to do, something different than what our parents wants us to do, and I want to know what it is."

Rebekah was tempted to say, _That's none of your fucking business_, but she knew that it wouldn't be good to have her as an enemy. Thus, she attempted to find a way of telling them enough to make them trust her, but not enough to reveal just what her mother really wanted. She glanced at the closed window that separated the driver from them, hoping that their conversation was private and that he wasn't listening to them.

"My mother wants what every villain does," She said at last, glancing back at them. "Revenge."

No one seemed too impressed.

"What a surprise," Jay said sarcastically. "Besides, Mal. All of our parents asked us to do other things, not only to steal the wand."

His father wanted him to find the "big prize" in Auradon, something that would be valuable enough to solve all of their problems. The former Grand Vizier climed that, if such an object were to be on his possession, he wouldn't even think about that wretched Aladdin ever again.

Carlos was told to find a dog, a Dalmatian, even though he was terribly frightened of dogs. His mother wanted to be able to have new fur coats- a detail that disgusted and frightened the boy even more- and to avenge that wretched Roger and that stupid Anita Radcliffe.

Evie was told to find a rich, handsome, and perfect Prince with whom she could later settle with. Ever since she could remember, that had been what her mother wanted for her future- for Evie to be the perfect little queen, the perfect housewife, the perfect image of beauty and elegance.

"But against whom does your mother want revenge?" Evie seemed genuinely interested, "I can never remember what she did. I never listened much on _History of Villains_, that class made me fall asleep."

Jay snorted, "You actually _went_ to class?"

Carlos directed an incredulous look at the blue-haired girl, "Even _I_ skipped that one."

Rebekah found herself chuckling, and saying a: "Ouch, poor Evie. That's a low blow," even though she knew that the reason the younger boy almost never skipped was because he prefered being in class over having to go back earlier to Hell Hall to continue being yelled, pushed, and treated as a slave by his mother.

Carlos threw a wrapped candy at her, making her laugh and return the candy to him.

Mal decided to cut the conversation short to ask what she really wanted to know, "Will that revenge get in the way of our plans?"

Rebekah tilted her head to the side, taking one moment to think; at the moment, she couldn't see how her being an Empress would make it difficult for them to get the wand and dominate the world with wickedness, so she found herself shaking her head. "No, not at all."

The daughter of Maleficent seemed satisfied. She nodded curtly, acknowledging her answer, then leaned back against her seat, looking out of the window and realizing they were almost close to the barrier by then.

"But you'll help us?"

Carlos' voice brought everyone's attention back to Rebekah, who seemed almost surprised at the question.

"Of course," She said without any hesitation. "We villain kids have to stick together."

Evie brightened at her words, throwing her a heart-stopping smile. Rebekah easily returned the gesture, starting to enjoy how genuinely happy that girl seemed to be at all times- it was refreshing from what she was used to.

Mal seemed to have gained some respect for her, but settled for directing a nod towards her direction.

Jay seemed satisfied, and went back to looking around the limo, curious about the different things the Auradonians had accommodated it with to please them. Apart from the food, there were blankets and pillows, which allowed him to know that it would be a long ride.

Carlos returned to the food, wanting to make the most out of it since he was convinced he wouldn't ever get to see such a great amount of food on the same place ever again. As though reading his mind, Jay nodded at him and started hiding handfuls of candy on his pockets, an action that the younger boy immediately copied.

"But you are eager to get to Auradon," Mal couldn't bring herself to drop the subject. She couldn't understand how anyone could want to live in such a…good place.

Rebekah wasn't faced by the question, nor was she embarrassed to admit that she looked forwards to leaving their home to start over somewhere else- somewhere completely different to what they were used to.

"I am. I'm tired of having to fight for everything, of living in poverty, of having to eat rotten, spoiled leftovers from Auradon," The Peruvian girl paused, her long earrings dancing at her sudden movement. She gave the four teenagers surrounding her the opportunity to respond to her words, but they seemed to be processing the truth behind them. "So, if being around thousands of goodie-two shoes is what I'll have to deal with to be able to lead a better life…then so be it."

There was a moment of silence around them, the only sound being the distant echoes of villains booing and yelling out profanities at them as the limo drove through the most crowded streets of the Isle.

"Wow," Carlos glanced at his friends, doubtful. "I hadn't thought about that."

Mal looked away, realizing that the other girl was right. In Auradon, they wouldn't have to face the same difficulties that they faced on the Isle. Instead of settling for _leftovers_, they would be able to have it _all_.

"It _is_ a good opportunity," Evie admitted, looking at Mal and already knowing what the other girl was thinking.

It didn't matter how tempting such an easy and wonderful life sounded- they had a mission; their parents were counting on them.

"However," Rebekah continued, a little hesitant to admit her doubts. "I really don't understand why anyone would want to give us a chance to start over- in Auradon, of all places- considering all the damage that our parents caused."

Mal glanced in her direction once more. "So you're saying it could be a trap." The purple haired girl saw from the corner of her eyes a small remote control with a big button in the middle; curious, she grabbed it and started pushing it.

Carlos seemed to agree, furrowing his brows as he said, "Maybe we're meant to be some sort of experiment for the Prince. After all, he is-" He paused when he glanced ahead and saw, through the window that allowed them to see where they were going, how the barrier was still up- and they were driving right towards it. "Oh, _fuck_."

The others followed his line of sight, and panic seized them.

"It's a trap!"

Immediately, Jay's left arm pulled Carlos closer, allowing the smaller boy to hide himself on his chest, his right arm doing the same with Rebekah, who had unintentionally thrown herself into him when Evie and Mal moved closer to them too; the five of them seeking protection, screaming and closing their eyes, waiting for the impact to come- but, it never did.

Instead, the barrier was lifted at the last moment, and they drove safely through a golden bridge, the barrier closing behind their backs as soon as they had left the Isle.

"What just happened?" Carlos' eyes were wide.

"We passed through," Rebekah pushed the two boys off of her, straightening her gown as she glanced through the window to see that, in fact, they had left the Isle behind.

Evie breathed out, "It must be magic," while staring at the bridge they were crossing, which had swirling golden lights surrounding it.

Mal had another thing in mind. She turned towards the window that separated them from the driver, who had been ignoring them throughout most of the trip, and tapped on it until it rolled down. "Hey. Did this little button just open up the magic barrier?" She gestured to the remote she'd been pressing when it happened.

The driver didn't even spare them a glance. "No. That one opens my garage," He raised one of his hands, which held a completely different remote, and said, "This one opens the magic barrier. And this button…" He trailed off as he pressed another one, and the open window that allowed the five villains to communicate with him closed abruptly.

Jay and Carlos shared a look, then sniggered.

Rebekah raised her eyebrow. "_Wow_. Never thought someone from Auradon could be like that."

Evie chuckled, nodding along as she rummaged through her purse.

Mal seemed almost delighted. "Nasty. I like that guy."

For a couple of minutes, silence lingered through the air.

The five villain kids found ways to entertain themselves. The two boys started a conversation that quickly turned into a fight over the blankets across from them, Evie got her magic mirror out and started fixing her already perfect make-up, and Mal explored the spell-book her mother had given her, curious as to how it would feel to finally be able to do magic. Rebekah fidgeted on her seat, uncomfortable.

She felt out of place. The four of them were a group- and while she was Carlos' friend, she still felt like the odd one there. She didn't know where she stood with them- not when it didn't seem like there was any space for her on their group- and thus, she wasn't sure how to approach them.

Did she even have a talent that they could find valuable for their group? Somehow she doubted it, and she started to feel even more anxious about the whole ordeal. She could fight, steal, manipulate, and con- but those were things that all Isle kids could do.

As though reading her mind, Evie questioned a: "Are you like Yzla?"

Rebekah blinked. "Are you asking me if I'm annoying?"

Evie actually laughed. "_No_. Are you also good with potions?"

Instantly, the amber-eyed girl perked up. She had inherited her mother's talent for potions (a chemist, Yzma had called herself once, denying the rumours that spread about her being a sorceress, even though she technically was one), but she didn't know if they would find that useful. All that learned about it immediately laughed, reminding the young girl that her mother had been turned into a defenceless little cat by one of those potions- that wasn't a reliable talent, people claimed.

They tended to forget that Yzma hadn't turned herself into a cat in purpose- it had been an accident of sorts, Kuzco and that stupid commoner Pacha had been at fault.

"Yzla doesn't know what she's doing most of the time," Rebekah chuckled a little, though she seemed to be almost fond of her little sister. "I'm the only one of the three that actually inherited mom's talent."

"That's actually rather useful," Mal seemed interested, which made the other four curious enough to glance their way, surprised. "Does that mean you could, let's say, turn someone into a..._frog_, if the occasion called for it?"

"I've seen her turn someone into a cockroach and then spray them with anti-bug spray," Carlos said, swallowing down one last piece of chocolate, feeling too full to continue eating. He didn't tell them, however, that she had done that to stop them from bullying him.

Rebekah perked up once more, having forgotten that little incident. "Oh, I forgot about that," She laughed, thoroughly amused, "That was fun. I swear I'd never seen the Gaston twins run as fast as they did after I turned them back into humans."

"Gaston Jr. and Gaston the Third?" Jay raised his eyebrows, impressed. "_They_ ran from _you_?"

Evie glanced his way. "Wouldn't you, if she had just turned you into a cockroach?"

"I'm just impressed," He shrugged, nodding down at the girl between him and Carlos. "The twins have never been seen running from someone. People usually run _from_ them."

Mal tilted her head to the side, still observing the Peruvian girl with intense, unwavering eyes. "So we could turn the future King into a cute, little pink cat if things don't go our way." At the end, she laughed at the look of complete defeat on the girl's face.

The others stiffled laughs.

"You _had_ to bring that up."

It was only when the five kids saw through the window a sign that read "Welcome to Auradon" that they seemed to realize that their life was about to drastically change, and all previous thoughts fell aside, as well as their amusement.

Rebekah's heart dropped once more, anxiety coursing through her whole body. Before she could lose herself, Carlos' hands came in contact with her own, and she found herself able to focus on her surroundings rather than her thoughts. He squeezed as discretely as he could, a gesture that she returned.

The daughter of Yzma hated when people noticed how anxious she was most of the time- because it was a weakness, and showing any kind of weakness on the Isle of the Lost lead to death- but she had never been able to hide her anxiety from Cruella's son.

Perhaps no one could understand it, but ever since the first time they met, there had been something that made them want to protect each other. He had been so much smaller back then, and so nervous at all times. It was something that they had in common, though the Peruvian girl was tougher, and thus they had bonded; their similarities making them feel less alone in the world. Back at Dragon Hall, almost every single student attacked and bullied Carlos, something that Rebekah had found disgusting and unnecessary (it was enough that Cruella treated him like shit, telling him that he was too soft and too nice; the young girl wouldn't allow anyone else to treat him that way) and thus she had taken matters into her own hands. Soon enough, those that bullied the younger boy had been taught a lesson (thanks to her potions) and no one dared to continue bothering him if Rebekah was around.

But she hadn't been around for the last couple of months, too busy with her mother's store to hang out with him after school, and they'd fallen out of contact with each other. The young boy had formed a bond with those other four kids after an adventure with them to retrieve something of Maleficent- or some shit like that, Rebekah didn't know nor care about the details; she just knew that their "friendship" had been what made him stop seeking her out.

She didn't know how to feel about that detail, either.

"Is that- oh, wow," The daughter of Maleficent sounded startled by the view to their left.

The other four followed her line of sight, then promptly gasped.

"Oh, it's so-," Evie breathed out, eyes twinkling. _That_ was exactly how she wanted her future castle to look like.

"Excessive," Mal finished for her, though the blue-haired girl had other word in mind.

It was beautiful in ways that nothing on their home could ever be. There were several buildings and villages, all enormous, standing proudly behind what appeared to be countless mountains surrounding the biggest and wealthiest-looking castle that they had ever seen. The castle in itself was breathtaking, with tall columns that seemed to be made out of gold, an entrance vast enough to look bigger than the whole Isle of the Lost, the designs adorning the main entrance resembling what seemed to be a carved face with a gigantic headpiece (similar to the ones an Emperor would use), earrings, and winged-eyes. The whole place seemed to be surrounded by a golden gleam that could rival even the brightest ray of sunshine. It really was impressing, for lack of a better word to describe it.

Rebekah sucked in a breath, because, even as she had never been there, she recognized the place, recognized the logo that the walls bore, recognized the light that seemed to emanate from it…

It was home.

Or, it would have been, had the Beast not imprisoned them all on the Isle.

"Isn't that…" Carlos hesitated, stealing a look at the girl at his side.

Rebekah nodded, swallowing hard as she found herself unable to look away.

The others seemed oblivious.

Mal tapped on the window once more, and, as it rolled down, the driver directed them a look through the rear-view mirror. "Hey, is this Auradon Prep?"

It didn't seem likely, but they didn't know they would get to see other parts of Auradon through the trip.

Rebekah wanted to answer, to say that she knew where they were and that it wasn't their future boarding school, but she couldn't bring herself to. The words died on her throat as soon as the driver seemed to directly look at her through the rear-view mirror, as though he knew that her mother had been the villain to almost overpower such a beautiful empire.

The driver laughed, looking back at the daughter of Maleficent. "Of course not. To your left, you're seeing one of Auradon's subdivisions: The Kingdom of the Sun, also known as Kuzcotopia. Home to Emperor Kuzco."

At the confirmation that her suspicions had been correct, Rebekah found herself squeezing Carlos' hand. He flinched, not having expected the sudden contact, but returned the gesture altogether.

It didn't take the others long to glance at her, curious about her reaction to what was, or would've been, her home if the Beast hadn't banished all villains away from their respective lands and into the Isle.

Rebekah noticed Jay's eyes on her, and glanced at him, their eyes meeting for a short moment. Then, he looked away, not particularly interested on the uncomfortable situation that they were currently facing- though he wondered if the driver had taken them through there only to gauge at her reaction. After all, it was a little strange that they were crossing through a kingdom belonging to one of their parents' nemesis. It was too much of a coincidence, considering how he knew who their parents were.

Mal had come to the same conclusion, but made no comment about it.

Evie, on the other hand, couldn't mask how sympathetic she felt towards the other girl. It couldn't be easy to see all that had once been her mother's (if only for a couple of days), and that would, most certainly, never be hers.

Yzma's words came back to Rebekah, _If you don't succeed on becoming an Empress, don't bother coming back home._

_I have to do this, _she told herself_, this Kingdom **has** to be mine. _

The driver had been about to close the window that separated him from the villain kids once more, but he glanced one last time towards Yzma's daughter, as though he expected something. This time, the five noticed, and they couldn't bring themselves to ignore it.

Rebekah felt sick. Was her discomfort entertaining to him?

"You _know_ she is Yzma's daughter. This was uncalled for," Mal was the one to snap, which surprised the others. "Aren't you Auradonians supposed to be nice?"

The driver ignored them once more, instead choosing to tell them: "In a few more miles, if you look to your right, you'll be able to see, in the distance, another subdivision of Auradon: the Bayou de Orleans, home to Queen Tiana and King Naveen."

The villain kids ignored him. Rebekah started to open her backpack, to look for the small vials of potion that she had packed, but stopped at the last moment. She wasn't stupid, she knew that if she harmed him in any way, he would turn the car around and send them all home. That was what he wanted, that was why he had brought them though that particular path.

"If you ask me," The driver spoke once more. "This Proclamation that allowed you five to be here is a load of bullshit. Your parents caused more damage than-"

"None of us asked for your opinion," Mal shot him down immediately, eyes gleaming a vibrant green that portrayed her magic. "So just do your job, _drive us_ to our destination. No more detours."

Annoyed, the driver seemed to be about to say something else, but the son of Jafar flexed his muscles, directing him a harsh glare as he started to stand from his seat. Immediately, the driver closed the window that allowed them to communicate, not wanting the villain kid to attack him in any way.

Evie pulled Jay down to the seat by his jacket, only to have him straighten himself before leaning back against the seat.

"Asshole," The son of Cruella also seemed to be thoroughly resentful at the idiotic driver that had clearly wanted to perturb his friend.

"It's, um, it's fine," Rebekah was never good at portraying her gratitude to others, but she hoped they knew she was truthfully grateful that they stood up to an Auradonian for her; though, technically, they were also standing up for themselves. "Thank you."

Mal nodded in her direction, then reminded her: "You said we villain kids had to stick together."

Evie smiled, delighted that her friend had decided to give the other girl an opportunity.

Carlos sighed, smiling, too.

Jay smirked in her direction. "Welcome to the group, shorty."

"Don't turn us into fluffy cats," Mal directed a smirk in her direction.

"Ha, ha."

Nevertheless, Rebekah found herself unable to hide her relief. _Maybe_, she thought distractedly, _maybe I'm not as out of place within their group as I thought._

After almost half-an-hour in silence as they watched their surroundings with mild interest, the driver spoke again, though this time he did not leave the window completely open. "We'll be arriving at Auradon Prep in approximately ten minutes."

The five shared a look between one another, not knowing what to expect (certainly not when they already had a nasty interaction with an Auradonian and they hadn't even been outside of the car). They knew, however, that they had to remain together, for they were about to enter a place surrounded by heroes that held grudges over them for what their parents did as villains.

It was unfair, but somehow every single one of them had expected as much.

After all, villains never had anything handed to them easily, and certainly not by the heroes.

As the car approached Auradon Prep, the villain kids could see a group of people waiting for them. There were marching bands, cheerleaders, and even random students celebrating them (hypocrite much?) as the car came to a stop in front of the entrance.

The five shared one last look, then the driver moved around the car to open their door for them, and they stood outside, breathing in the fresh air of Auradon, for the first time on their lives.


	2. Two

_**Disclaimer:** Descendants doesn't belong to me. Only parts of the plot, as well as some characters, are mine. _

_English is not my native language, for which I apologize for any mistakes I might have._

* * *

…

**Chapter 2**

…

The boys damaged their first impression, tumbling out of the car and into the floor as they fought over several trinkets they stole from the limousine. The marching band came to an abrupt stop mid-song, not having expected them to arrive fighting one another. Before anything could be said and done, the blue-haired girl came out of the car, twirling in excitement as she looked around, closely followed by the purple-haired girl, who didn't seem impressed at all, and then the black-haired girl was the last to exit the car, rolling her eyes at the sight of both fellow villain kids fighting one another.

So much for first impressions.

The marching band moved to make way for three individuals, an older woman accompanied by two teenagers around their age, a boy and a girl. It wasn't hard to imagine who they were, since only those of great importance could have been allowed to directly welcome them to the school. The girl was very pretty, with tanned skin and dark brown hair that fell down her shoulders in delicate waves, but she observed the five kids with barely hidden disdain. The boy, on the other hand, seemed thoroughly pleased to have them there, a genuine smile covering his lips. _He's cute_, Rebekah thought distractedly, admiring how his honey-brown hair seemed to contrast against his creamy skin.

He seemed familiar, and it only took Rebekah a second to remember where she had seen him before: on the posters that surrounded the Isle, presenting the Royal Family. Eyebrows raised in surprise at the realization that the future King had gone to welcome them directly instead of sending a servant to do so, the young girl turned sideways to glance at the others.

"Guys, guys, guys," Mal hissed at the boys, who immediately stopped fighting. She forced a smile into her face and turned towards the newcomers, "We have an audience."

The five villain kids made their best attempts at smiling, though they probably looked as uncomfortable as they felt. In a matter of seconds, the daughter of Maleficent had already dropped her smile, observing the three of them with cold calculation, the daughter of the Evil Queen had gone back to glancing around in search of any handsome prince around there, remembering what her mother had mentioned about finding one, the son of Jafar had pulled the son of Cruella up from the floor, taking from him what they'd stolen, and the daughter of Yzma had turned back to observe the three figures in front of them, tilting her head to the side.

Jay forced another smile into his face. "We were just...cleaning up."

The older woman returned the smile, though she seemed to grow serious as she talked. "Put it back where you found it, please. We don't take what doesn't belong to us here, and neither do we tolerate it."

Jay threw back into the limo what he and Carlos had stolen, and as he was turning, he caught glance of the girl between the older woman and the Prince. A smirk appeared on his face, and, without waiting for anything else to steal his chance, he sauntered closer. "Hello, foxy. The name's...Jay."

Amusement filled Rebekah's senses at the uncomfortable laugh that his action got from the pretty girl. _Leave it to Jay to flirt with everyone_.

The amber-eyed girl locked eyes with Evie, who was trying her hardest not to laugh. Mal scrunched up her nose, sharing a look with a smirking Carlos, but then turned when the older woman stood in front of them and started to introduce herself.

"Welcome to Auradon Prep. I'm Fairy Godmother, headmistress."

Rebekah's eyes narrowed ever the slightest. She had imagined the all-powerful fairy to be...different, but that was due to the influence that the Isle and it's habitants had on her way of perceiving things. Villains often taught their children that nice people had no way of being powerful, so it was a slight surprise to see that such a common-looking, _nice_ woman was the most powerful fairy on the land.

Their attention was immediately caught.

Jay lost his smirk and walked back to stand by Carlos' side, who in turn stared at the fairy, curious. Evie raised her eyebrows, silently observing the woman.

Mal, being their leader, was the one that voiced their curiosity. "The Fairy Godmother? As in, 'Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo'?" She moved her hand a little, as though she were wielding a wand, for better effect.

Fairy Godmother seemed pleased that they knew about her. "Bibbidi-bobbidi, you know it."

Mal was quick to justify her question, not wanting them to discover their true intentions so early on the mission. "Yeah, I always wondered what it felt like for Cinderella when you just appeared, out of nowhere, with that sparkly wand and a warm smile."

"Certainly," Evie followed cheerfully. "Oh, and the dress you made for her was so amazing. I loved the glass slippers, very unique."

Rebekah nodded in agreement, "It certainly must've been _very_ nice to have a special someone to just, wave her wand and make all your problems disappear."

Carlos followed, though he said it too low for anyone other than his friends to hear, "That would've been useful to help _me_ with my chores."

"Or to keep my father's store full," Jay continued in the same hushed tone of voice, snorting.

The Fairy Godmother seemed to buy their words as mere interest, smiling at them. "Oh, dear ones. That was a long time ago. And, as I always say, don't focus on the past or you'll miss the future."

Rebekah hated those words the second she heard them. It was easy for her to say- Fairy Godmother's future would, without any doubt, be filled with opportunities and success. The same couldn't be said for villains and their children on the Isle. The old woman claimed that no one should focus on the past, but they had been extremely quick in forcing them to pay for their parents past actions. Bitterly, the daughter of Yzma looked away from her, accidentally making eye-contact with the boy.

He smiled warmly.

Rebekah looked away, not used to anyone ever looking at her with any kind of warmness whatsoever.

He moved to stand in front of them. "It's _so_ good to finally meet you all. I'm Ben-

"_Prince_ Benjamin," The girl at his side interrupted, excitedly moving to hold into his arm as she appeared to swoon over him. "Soon to be King."

Evie brightened, a smile covering her face. She moved to stand before them, perfectly curtsying as she said, "You had me at Prince. My mom's a Queen, which makes me a Princess."

The girl looked at her from head to toe, to then say, "The Evil Queen has no royal status here. You don't have any royal status here."

Immediately, the villain kids tensed, knowing that such a statement would definitely hurt the blue-haired girl.

As they expected, Evie deflated, taking a few steps back to go back to where she had been previously standing, her smile disappearing.

Rebekah hated the sad look on her face, so she turned to give the other girl a venomous look, not being fooled by her fake smile of politeness.

"The Evil Queen _does_ have royal status on the Isle, which means that Evie is a Princess where we're from. And, since we're obviously just visiting here, that makes her _visiting royalty_, even if you don't like it," Rebekah saw with satisfaction the startled look on the other girl's face, as well as how her eyes seemed to fill with fury at the truth behind her words, "Therefore, she deserves to be treated with respect and not with...whatever you think you're treating us with."

"How dare you? Who do you think you are? I've been nothing but polite-"

Rebekah shared a look with the other villain kids, then laughed. "If you wanted to fool us into thinking you're polite, you at least should've learnt to be less obvious with your fake smiles and barely-hidden disdainful looks. It's not fooling anyone. It's obvious you don't want us here."

Carlos shared a look with Jay, who seemed more than amused at the scene unfolding before their eyes. Mal could barely hide her smirk, and Evie seemed grateful that the other girl had come to her defense.

"Now, child, don't be so quick jumping into conclusions," The Fairy Godmother started, sharing a look with Ben, but was promptly ignored.

The girl forced another smile into her face, "If you dislike my attitude so much, we can always send you back to the Isle. Problem solved."

The comment annoyed the amber-eyed girl more than she dared to show. It was the second time someone had mentioned they wanted them to go back to the Isle (first the driver, then that girl) and it hadn't even been an hour since they'd arrived there.

"_Audrey_!" Ben gave the girl an incredulous look, to then turn back to the villain kids, eyes wide, "We are _not_ going to send _any_ of you back to the Isle. It's disrespectful towards them for you to even say that."

"Please, Ben," Audrey glanced their way, "As if they know what respect means. They probably haven't even been taught manners."

Carlos' patience ran short. How dared that girl to speak to them- _to them_\- about respect? As though she had _any_ idea of what their parents _did to them_ if they dared disrespect them? That girl was obviously a Princess, judging by her attitude and clothing style, which meant that the worse thing her parents could ever do to her if she disrespected them was raise their voice. She knew nothing about respect, nothing about anything they had been forced to stand.

"What would _you_ know about respect?" Carlos shot at her, unable to stop himself. "What would _you_ know about the things we've been taught? You're clearly nothing but a spoiled brat."

Jay's hands came to rest on his shoulders, lightly squeezing to try and calm him.

The Fairy Godmother decided to step between them once more, to break the tension surrounding them, which allowed Ben a moment to speak with Audrey, who seemed not to see what her mistake had been. She protested in hushed tones about the villain kids, while he seemed to be thoroughly exasperated with her behavior.

"This is only normal," Fairy Godmother said nervously. "It was bound to happen, we all come from completely different environments-"

"Clearly," Audrey huffed, before Ben pulled her back with a stern look.

The Fairy Godmother turned towards them with a kind smile, "Ben and Audrey are going to show you all around, and I'll see you tomorrow. The doors of wisdom are never shut. But the library hours are from 8:00 to 11:00. And, as you may have heard, I have a little thing about curfews."

The five villain kids watched as she walked away, the band following closely behind until only Ben and Audrey remained there with them. A small moment later, he turned back to them and smiled again, albeit a little nervously.

"This is Audrey," Ben introduced nervously.

"_Princess_ Audrey," Audrey corrected, forcing another smile into her face as she grabbed Ben's arm and swooned over him once more, adding an unnecessary, "His girlfriend. Right, BennyBoo?"

Instead of acknowledging her, Ben moved forwards and started to shake their hands. "It's so, so, so good to finally m-meet you all," Jay playfully punched his shoulder, a grin of satisfaction on his face, which made the Prince stumble a little over his words.

Audrey followed him as he moved, but made no motion to greet them in any way, keeping her eyes on her boyfriend at all times.

"This is a momentous occasion, one that I hope will go down in history," Mal gave him an unimpressed look, but allowed him to greet her in the same way that her friends had.

Carlos shook his hand without making any kind of facial expression, but the Prince chuckled at the remains of chocolate around his face and fingers. "I take it you guys liked the chocolate I put in the car for you to try."

Evie curtsied once more, smiling as she shook his hand. He finished his monologue, "As the day we make a difference in the world and we begin healing from past mistakes."

Ben moved to stand in front of Rebekah, a sincere smile on his face as he offered her his hand. She observed him for a brief moment, not having expected him to greet them directly, but pleasantly surprised that he had. Maybe the future King wasn't as bad as she had thought...but, promptly, she pushed her thoughts aside, still not completely convinced as to what reason he could've had to want them there. There had to be a catch to it- there _always_ was. From up close, Ben was more attractive than she previously thought. His eyes were of a hazel color, bordering on green, and his smile was even kinder than she'd realized. She found herself taken aback for a moment, but, nevertheless, she offered him a polite nod and shook his outstretched hand.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know your name," Ben smiled at her, the sincerity behind his eyes rendering speechless for a small moment. She had never met someone with so much _kindness_ on his eyes. "Our records showed us that Yzma had three kids, but we could only accept one at the time. I didn't want to offend either of you three by choosing which one to invite, which is why I allowed your mother to decide."

Rebekah could feel her cheeks turning slightly pink at the attention, though she hoped no one would notice. "My name is Rebekah."

Ben's smile widened, his eyes twinkling. "Welcome to Auradon, Rebekah."

She found herself smiling back, despite her initial doubt, because the soon-to be King's smile was too contagious to ignore. He then proceeded to tell her that he would make sure her papers were updated before the end of the day, so she wouldn't have any trouble attending to classes the next day. Apparently, the process of creating her schedule and assigning her a room had been paused due to them not knowing which of the three siblings would be coming to Auradon.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Mal pointed out, "Instead of a momentous day, maybe this is the day you _finally_ showed five people where the bathrooms are."

Ben turned towards the purple-haired girl, a sheepish look crossing his features. "Was I a little bit over the top?"

"A little more than a little bit."

"Well, so much for my first impression."

The two of them chuckled. The daughter of Maleficent wasn't one to interact in such a normal, polite, and almost _nice_ way with others- much less if it was someone of her own age that she wasn't familiar with- but she wanted to be on his good side, just in case it could be beneficial for them.

Audrey snapped a "Hey!" that startled the others. She looked between Ben and Mal for a moment, to then stare directly into the purple-haired girl's direction, eyes full of barely concealed disdain. "You're Maleficent's daughter, aren't you? You know what? I totally do not blame you for your mother trying to kill my parents and stuff," Mal's eyes widened slightly in recognition, but the other girl continued, "Oh. My mom's Aurora. Sleeping-"

"-_Beauty_!" Mal smiled sarcastically. "Yeah, I've heard the name. You know, and I totally do not blame your grandparents for inviting everyone in the whole world but my mother to their stupid christening."

Audrey forced a laugh, "Water under the bridge."

"Totes!" Both girls shared an extremely fake laugh, to then glance at one another with an awfully great amount of judgement as they trailed off sighing.

Ben clapped his hands together, looking nervous as he noticed the growing tension between them. "How about I show you guys around the school? I'll give you all a small tour so you get familiarized with the place, and then maybe we could have dinner together-"

"We already have plans, remember?" Audrey interrupted him, narrowing her eyes as she directed them another forced smile.

Ben seemed confused. "No, we don't."

"Yes, we do."

"Audrey-"

The five descendants of evil shared a look, then rolled their eyes almost in sync. Before any of the others could make a remark that could damage their already dampened reputation, Rebekah intervened swiftly, forcing a smile into her face to appear nonchalant and to hide her annoyance.

"It's fine, Your Majesty," She told Ben, who blushed at the reminder that the others could hear his argument with his girlfriend. Once more, the young girl thought that he was extremely cute. "You don't have to keep us company. It's obvious _some people_ would rather be anywhere else."

Ben opened his mouth to reply, probably to defend his girlfriend, or to make some excuse for her behavior, but Mal spoke over him, interrupting whatever he had planned to say.

"Yeah," The daughter of Maleficent crossed her arms over her chest. "We're not really the sort of people you'd want others to see you with."

Audrey seemed relieved, "Exactly! See, I knew I wasn't the only one to see it like that."

"No, no-" Ben seemed stressed with the misunderstanding. "That's not it! Audrey, please, stop talking. Mal, I have no problem with being seen around you guys. I want the five of you to feel welcome and to be accepted here regardless of whatever impression others could have on you based on your parents. This is what my project is about- I want all of us to be equal."

"Oh, BennyBoo, you're so sweet," Audrey sighed. "But your image comes first."

"No!" Ben groaned, thoroughly exasperated. "Audrey-"

The five villain kids tried to hide their amusement, having commented the things they did only to cause further mischief between the couple. It was so _easy_ to put them against each other, and it was also extremely fun.

Truthfully, none cared much about accompanying the future King to dinner; they weren't planning on staying there for too long. Their plan was to get the wand that same day, to be able to go back to the Isle to free their parents as soon as possible.

A little fun first, however, never hurt anyone.

"Really, Your Majesty, it's fine." Rebekah masked her amusement with an innocent look. "We're not exactly hungry after all the candy we ate on the limousine, and, clearly, you already had plans with your girlfriend. We don't want to impose."

"Uh, speak for yourself, shorty," Jay pushed Rebekah to the side, pointing towards Carlos and himself as he continued, "We could use some more food."

Mal stepped on his foot, giving him a look that clearly read: _remember the plan, you idiot, we won't be here tonight_, but he gave her a small glare at the action, wincing through the pain. Rebekah grabbed his elbow, pulling him back with more force than he expected her to, a glare on her face at having been pushed by him.

Carlos, who stood between both, sighed tiredly. He was exhausted, in less than three hours they had been forced into a plan of world domination that none wanted to be part of in the first place, taken away from their homes and into an unknown, perfect place full of heroes and princes/princesses, and then verbally attacked and judged for things that had nothing to do with them. Because the villain kids _weren't_ responsible for their parents behavior, nor for having been forced to live on the Isle with them, growing up with their horrible parenting skills to shape their personalities; it was all the heroes fault- King Adam's fault- for having allowed it to happen, but that was something that no hero would ever realize or admit, their pride being too strong for that.

Ben sighed deeply. "All right, but tomorrow you guys are having breakfast with me, and I won't accept no for an answer." The five shrugged, already thinking that they wouldn't be there the next day, and he continued, this time glancing towards the amber-eyed girl. "And Rebekah, you can call me Ben, there's no need for formalities."

"So," Carlos interrupted before anything else could happen. "About that tour you were going to give us...?"

"Right," Ben motioned for them to follow him. "Let's start with the grounds. Then we'll move into the different buildings for each class and each different activity, and, lastly, we'll reach the dorms."

The daughter of Yzma tuned out his voice, more interested in their surroundings than its history. Everything was so different to the Isle, so lively and colorful. The grass was greener than she imagined it could ever be, the trees bigger than she thought, the flowers even prettier than she'd heard from older villains. The air didn't smell as awful as it did on the Isle (the enchanted force field didn't let anything leave or enter the place, so the air they breathed stank of disease and spoiled food) and the rays of sunshine were warmer than she thought it would be, making her feel a little suffocated due to the sudden change of climate she experienced.

But it was _nice_, a whole different world to what she had been used to.

It feel freeing, in a way that she was yet to understand, but also frightening. She glanced at the others, and they seemed to be as engrossed on their surroundings as she was. _This is new to them too_, she reminded herself, _we're in this together_.

"It's so...green," She found herself whispering to Jay, who stood closest to her as they followed the future King throughout the grounds.

The thief stole a glance at her, nodding briefly, "It is. I never thought nature would be this..." He trailed off. They had no words for it, it was just _different_.

No trees, no flowers, no leaves, _nothing_ ever grew on the Isle. Thus, the five villain kids took their time looking around, momentarily ignoring Ben and Audrey, for the two Auradonians didn't seem to realize that the things that surprised them weren't the statues or the buildings, it was all that they didn't have on the Isle: the trees, the grass, the sunshine, the _colors_ all around.

"Yeah," She agreed quietly, hearing him echo back the same.

She liked what she had seen of the place already, and, best of all, she could see herself living there, enjoying the privilege that they'd been previously denied of. One look at Audrey, however, and she was forced to remember that there would always be people that would do their lives miserable because they were different, and realized she couldn't let herself be tempted by it all.

It was tempting, extremely, but she couldn't allow herself to lose focus from what really mattered- making her mother proud. She had an Empire to steal, a wand to steal- a world to destroy with wickedness.

But, throughout the tour, she started to realize that Auradon Prep was gigantic.

Rebekah never thought it would be as awe-striking as it turned out to be. _'It's just a school_' she had thought briefly before arriving, but no other school could compare to that one. It had its own library, its own cafeteria, its own vending machines all around the buildings (apparently, they were allowed to eat any time they wanted, a detail that surprised the five of them), its own carnival grounds (for the Halloween party, Ben explained), dorms, an athletics area, and even an infirmary- things that Dragon Hall didn't have.

"Now, I want to show you guys something," Ben guided them back inside, their tour having ended.

They stopped in front of a statue of King Adam. The Prince clapped his hands, and they watched in surprise as the statue morphed until it became a beast.

Rebekah shared a look with Evie, both raising their eyebrows at how hideous it was. Belle must have been incredibly blind to have fallen for him, even with the whole 'what matters is what's on the inside' bullshit, because the outside of that man was completely _horrible_.

Carlos, being scared of dogs and everything remotely similar to them, screamed and jumped into Jay's arms, knowing he could trust the older boy to protect him.

Ben turned towards him, smiling kindly at the terrified boy, "Carlos, it's fine. My father wanted his statue to morph from beast to man to remind us that everything's possible."

Mal observed the statue, to then mention sarcastically: "Does he shed much?"

"Mom won't let him on the couch," Ben joked, completely straight-faced.

Mal fought against a smirk.

Rebekah snorted, but moved to stand by Carlos' side, who had jumped down from Jay's arms and was now staring at the statue with caution, clapping his hands to see if it would change back into its human form. She threw an arm around his shoulders and gently pulled him towards the others. "Come on, de Vil, that statue's too ugly to be stared at so much."

"He looks like an overgrown, ravenous dog," Carlos grumbled.

Rebekah chuckled a little. "Yeah well, human or beast he's an awful person, so, let's just keep going."

They met the others inside, between the two sets of stairs across from one another that lead the way to their dorms. The Prince had explained that most of the students lived there (since it was a boarding school) but that those that had their castles closest to school simply traveled everyday back and forth.

Ben was answering one of Mal's questions about magic, not suspecting anything. "Magic pretty much still exists here, but it's retired, obsolete. Most of us here are just ordinary mortals."

"Who happens to be Kings and Queens," Evie pointed out, not bothered by that fact at all.

Audrey nodded happily, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend as she said, "That's true! Our royal blood goes back hundreds of years."

Rebekah immediately disregarded it as a lie, but said nothing about the matter. Aladdin, who was now Sultan of Agrabah, had been nothing but a thief. Belle, who was now the Queen of the United States of Auradon, had been nothing but a common girl. Cinderella, who was now Queen of Cinderellasburg, had been treated as a maid throughout her childhood and starts of adulthood. Tiana, the Queen of the Bayou de Orleans, had been a waitress. Mulan was merely the protector of the Northern Wei. Not everything nor everyone there had royal blood that dated back to hundreds of years, even if the daughter of Aurora wanted to think so.

Ben glanced back and caught a glimpse of one of his friends. "Doug! Come here!"

It was a young boy, around their age, with an appearance that could've made him gain a lot of enemies on the Isle, for he looked completely harmless. He had brown hair slicked back, was dressed in what seemed to be a band uniform, and wore thick glasses.

"This is Doug," Ben introduced him, who approached them with a polite smile. "He's going to help you with your class schedules and show you your dorms." They didn't miss how the boy looked momentarily shocked, but the future King ignored him, continuing instead, "I'll see you guys later. If there's something you need, feel free to-"

"-ask Doug," Audrey interrupted him, throwing the daughter of Maleficent another forced smile.

Ben chuckled uncomfortably at the interruption, but turned towards Rebekah. "I'll be working on your inscription papers now, and once they're done Doug will be able to give you your schedule."

She nodded at him. "All right, thank you."

Ben smiled warmly at her, opening his mouth to reply, but Audrey dragged him away before anything else could be said, wanting to leave their side as soon as possible. He glanced back at them, but his girlfriend continued dragging him away.

Immediately, Mal dropped the forced smile she'd worn on their presence, her cheeks hurting from the unusual gesture. "What a _bitch_."

A laugh behind their backs caught their attention. Once their attention was him, Doug smiled and introduced himself. "Hey, guys. Welcome to Auradon. I'm Dopey's son, as in: Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy, and..." He fell speechless when he caught a glimpse of Evie, "_Heigh-Ho_."

Mal snorted at how obvious it was that he had found the blue-haired girl beautiful. She glanced at Rebekah, who seemed to be thinking the same: perhaps he could be useful for their plans if he was so easily trapped by Evie's beauty.

Carlos shared an amused look with the girls, to then glance at Jay, who was looking around curiously.

Evie sauntered closer, loving the attention. "Evie. Evil Queen's daughter."

Doug caught himself. "Okay, so about your classes: I put in the requirements already. History of Woodsmen and Pirates, Safety Rules for the Internet, and, uh," He trailed off, uncomfortable with their attention for once. The daughter of Maleficent had moved towards him to glance over his shoulder at the schedules. "Remedial Goodness 101."

_Remedial Goodness? _Was that supposed to be a joke? Rebekah found herself more annoyed than amused. Remedial Goodness, as opposed to _what_? Their _obvious_ evilness from being their parents' kids? It was ridiculous.

"Let me guess, new class?" Mal raised one eyebrow.

Doug nodded sheepishly.

Rebekah shook her head, exhausted and irritated. "Just take us to our dorms."

The dorms were divided into two sections- one for boys and one for girls- and there was space for two people per room.

Jay and Carlos were together, as always, as were Mal and Evie.

Not surprised by this turn of events, the amber-eyed girl quietly followed the half-dwarf, wondering with whom she would be forced to share a dorm with.

Doug's gentle voice caught her attention. "Don't you worry, we'll find you a room now."

"So, my roommate will be a princess?"

Recognizing the reluctance on her voice, the young boy found himself shaking his head. "Not necessarily. Not everyone here has royal status, some of us are lucky enough to have been granted a scholarship. But anyways, um, all the dorms are full at the moment, so you'll have a dorm for yourself."

"In other words, no one wanted to have a villain as a roommate?"

"That's not it," Doug said, almost sheepishly, but the girl didn't believe him. "We were told Yzma had two girls and one boy, we didn't know which of the three would come, so we weren't sure what room to separate, if a boy's or a girl's."

In all reality, Yzma had _three_ daughters and one son, but one of the girls had chosen to live with her father instead of with her, and thus, she was only ever recognized as his daughter and not hers.

In a similar way, those three that had chosen to remain with Yzma instead of going with their father after they ended their 'relationship' were only recognized as Yzma's children, never his. It was a little fucked up, but it was how her family- how _most_ families on the Isle- were. It was a choice that had to be made, and once it was done, there was no going back. Yzma didn't acknowledge her daughter's existence, and her ex-fuckbuddy never acknowledged those three kids that didn't want to go with him.

_It was better that way_, Rebekah thought distractedly, because her father always made her feel uncomfortable.

She found herself wondering how her other sister would feel about the opportunity she missed by choosing to live with their father instead of their mother, but promptly pushed those thoughts aside. Her sister had made her choice, now it was none of her business what happened with them.

"If it had been my brother instead of me," Rebekah started, not wanting to dwell on her thoughts. "With whom would he have shared a dorm with?"

Doug paused, then seemed to shrug, "Probably with Aziz. His roommate graduated last semester, so he's on his own now. He's the son of Aladdin and Jasmine."

Aladdin and Jasmine had a kid, as did Aurora and Philip. The young girl found herself wondering what would happen if the son of Aladdin met the son of Jafar; would he be as disdainful and judgmental as Audrey had been with Mal? Had all the princesses and princes been taught to fear the children of their parents' enemies?

She thought about the four other villain kids selected, about how tormented all of them were (and, to be fair, she knew she wasn't far from tormented either) and how unfair it would be for the heroes to hate them when they had also been fucked over by the villains; in their case, it was worse, because those villains they feared and hated were also their _parents_.

It was unfair- and frightening, if she dared to admit so.

For the first time since hearing about Kuzco's inability to form a family, she felt relieved. He had no children, which meant that there wouldn't be any student there to make her life miserable for her mother's mistakes. There wouldn't be anyone there to make her feel guilty for things that had nothing to do with her- because she didn't want to hurt Kuzco nor his Empire in any way; it was all Yzma. She was the one that craved the throne.

Rebekah was only obeying orders, as she had been taught to do.

"So, here we are," Doug smiled, signaling to a door almost seven or eight doors from where the girls' dorm room was.

"Thank you," Rebekah said distractedly, readjusting her backpack.

"Of course, I'll bring you your schedule later. And, if you need anything..." He told her his room number, to which she thanked him again, finding him pleasant to be around since he hadn't treated them like shit (like Audrey had). It was a little strange to be surrounded by people that weren't constantly trying to attack you- but a kind of strange that she could definitely grow used to.

"Before you leave, can I ask you something?" She hesitated, trying to come up with the right words to ask. "Who else is in this school? Like, I don't know, Quasimodo's kids, or-"

Doug gave her a knowing look. "Or _Kuzco's_? You don't have to ask about others first to pretend to be uninterested, it's normal to be curious about the Emperor, considering who your mother is."

Rebekah shrugged, using her best mask of innocence. "I just want to know what to expect."

Doug believed her. "Emperor Kuzco doesn't have any kids, that is true, but most of his nephews and nieces are here."

Her facade of indifference fell away, her heart dropping. "Nephews? Nieces?"

That didn't make sense, Kuzco was an only child. His parents died when he was a child, which made him fall into Yzma's care up until he turned eighteen and was able to officially become the Emperor. There wasn't anyone else- he had no other family.

"Pacha's kids, Chaca, Tipo, and Yupi. The first two graduated almost ten years ago, but are constantly visiting because Yupi is currently a senior here. Then there's the Kronk twins, which are around Carlos' age, and-"

"But those aren't nephews and nieces, those are merely the children of people he knows."

Doug looked at her, not having expected to receive such a cold, almost mocking reply. "Don't you have a friend that you just know that once they have kids you'll become their honorary uncle- um, _aunt_ in your case? You know," He trailed off at the look on her face, wondering if he was doing the right thing by telling her those things. "A friend that you love as a sibling?"

Rebekah's face showed no emotions, but her thoughts were racing, overwhelmed by all she had previously learnt. "It's just different on the Isle," She said at last. There were allies there, not friends. In most cases, there was only rivalry between siblings- a fight to become their parents' favorite.

"I thought-" Doug then stopped himself; he wasn't sure he actually wanted to know how hard life on the Isle was. "I'll just leave you now to get comfortable, and, um, I'll come by later to give you your schedule."

Once he was gone, she turned around and glanced at the key she had been given.

A room, just for her; the concept alone felt foreign.

She'd never had a room before, she'd never even had a proper bed- none of her siblings did, their mother had taken all the mattresses in good condition that they managed to steal, claiming that it was dangerous for a woman her age to not be comfortable. Her three children slept in old rugs they'd stolen from their neighbors, and she on a bed made out of almost ten mattresses; she did always love to feel like a Queen, even in the simplest ways.

Her hand hesitated upon the doorknob.

Then she pushed her doubts aside, and entered, only to have her breath immediately stolen.

Her dorm room was _beautiful_ and gigantic. There were two beds, two desks on either side of the beds, a table right in the middle of the room, along with two couches close to the windows, which were adorned by long, flowery curtains. There was also a TV, a mirror on the wall close to another door (which she imagined was a bathroom), and, on the other side, two small (yet perfect) closets. Pink was the color that predominated on the room, but she realized that she _loved_ it.

_Am I allowed to have all of this?_ She twirled around, trying to see as much as she could from the room, thoroughly enchanted with everything.

She walked towards one of the beds, and hesitantly moved to sit on it. A groan of delight left her mouth- it was softer than any of the broken, damaged mattresses they got on the Isle. She fell backwards, sighing contentedly as she closed her eyes; she had been alive for sixteen years, and yet she had never felt so comfortable before.

...

After resting for a while, Rebekah found herself knocking on the boys' room, not being comfortable enough with Evie or Mal to visit them. She imagined that they'd find each other at some point, to discuss what to do next- how to find the wand, how to fool everyone into trusting them while they did so, all the little details about their plan that they hadn't had time to talk about yet.

She heard movement inside, but no indication that anyone was going to open the door.

"Open up, guys," Rebekah knocked again, rolling her eyes. "It's me."

In a moment, the door opened, and Carlos welcomed the young girl into the room.

She looked around, spotting some differences in their decorations on the boys dorm and the ones on the girls, but she turned back towards her friend- she was starting to realize that it was safe to call him _friend_, since they weren't on the Isle anymore and thus no one would mock them for believing in friendship- and smiled at the sight of happiness visible on his young face.

"Bex, this is..." He had no words, instead, he gestured towards the bed wide eyed, making her chuckle.

"I know. It's quite something, isn't it? Finally having a bed."

"It's _so_ comfortable," He sighed, moving backwards until he fell onto his bed with a little sound of satisfaction.

She moved towards the other bed, imagining that it belonged to the other boy, and found herself laying there, unable not to relax at the feeling of the comfortable, soft mattress against her back.

"Wait, you have to try this thing-" Carlos leaped from the bed, pointing towards his TV and two remote controls that she hadn't seen before. "It's a game, I just started to get the hang of it. Here, stand here in this platform, hold the controls, and that's it, you hit your opponents as though they were really in front of you."

She did as he told, laughing in delight once one of the characters on TV imitated her moves, knocking violently against other characters. She raised her eyebrows, then threw a punch, and watched as one of the characters went down, having been hit by her character. "This is _so_ fucking cool."

Carlos laughed. "I knew you'd like it."

She played for a while, then went back to the bed, allowing the younger boy to start playing on his own again. It was entertaining, but being in front of the TV for long made her head pound, her eyesight not completely used to such bright colors and such a perfect screening.

She looked around, noticing at last that they were alone. "So, where's Jay?"

"Stealing."

Amusement crossed the girl's face. "Of course."

"I told him to bring me a computer, I want to see how different the technology from here is to the one we have back home," He jumped, dodging a blow from his opponent on the game. She watched him with amusement, liking how comfortable and normal he seemed to be there, completely different to how nervous he was on the Isle at all times- but that was due to Cruella and her insane behavior towards her own son; anyone would be nervous if they were forced to be around her at all times. "I already have some things in mind that I want to make."

She smiled again, but promptly dropped her smile as her mother's voice came back to her, reminding her of a time when she had been prohibited to smile or even to show any emotion. **_What do you think you're doing being so open with your emotions, girly? That's only going to be your downfall. No one has to know what you're feeling or thinking- keep it all for yourself. A future Empress can never be too open, or people will take advantage. _**

Rebekah pushed the thoughts of their parents away from her mind, reminding herself that they were currently too far from them to hurt them- _she_ was too far from _Yzma_, the old villainess had no way of knowing what she was doing. She felt herself relax momentarily.

"Hey, Carlos, do you think we could be happy here?"

The question took the younger boy by surprise, making him lose focus on the game.

Before he could answer, however, the door burst open and Jay strutted inside with barely hidden satisfaction.

He dropped his bag on the table, smirking; a clear sign that his escapade to steal had been a total success. Carlos greeted him with a nod while Rebekah threw up a peace sign from her spot on his bed, not knowing how else to greet him.

He seemed amused. "Well, shorty, I hate to say this, but seeing you on my bed is the most alluring image I've ever seen."

Carlos' laugh interrupted his half-hearted pickup line. "She's one of us now, man, there's no need for you to keep trying to hit on her."

Jay threw a wink at the younger boy, moving towards the table to start unpacking what he stole. "I got you the computer you asked for." He turned towards the girl then, "I also have some phones I stole, but I think you'll like this better," And he held up a golden necklace that instantly sparked her interest.

"How much do you want for it?" She immediately asked, knowing that nothing was ever free, much less if it came from the son of Jafar. He made the best- and also the worse- deals on his father's store, selling back to people what he stole from them. "I didn't bring much money, but I have other things of value that might interest you."

Jay seemed amused. "Like Carlos said, you're one of us now, take it. Besides, stealing this was easier than taking candy from a baby." He paused for a moment, to then smile wickedly, "I could get used to this lifestyle. It's easy to even steal- just imagine how easy other things can be."

The three villain kids shared a look, wicked smiles appearing on their faces.

"That's their problem," Rebekah found herself mentioning casually, "They became unpreoccupied after locking us all away on the Isle. They think they're safe- the heroes have become nothing but mere mortals, having long forgotten how to protect themselves because everyone here is- oh- so good."

"And that's our advantage," Mal's voice startled them all. They turned and saw the purple-haired girl on the doorstep, smirking at them while the blue-haired girl stood at her side, her hands at her hips. "This is our one chance to prove ourselves to our parents, to prove that we are evil and vicious and ruthless and cruel. Understood?"

The other four found themselves nodding. There was nothing more they wanted- nothing else they had to live up for. Their parents were counting on them.

The two girls entered the room, closing the door behind their back.

Evie turned towards them with her characteristic smirk on her pretty face. She held up her magic mirror for them to see, then said, "Let's see where the wand is, shall we?"

The five moved to stand together by the table, watching as Evie held out her magic mirror and said, "Mirror, mirror on my hand, where does Fairy Godmother's wand stand?" It showed the wand, but not enough background image for them to decipher where it was. "Zoom out. Wait- no, not so much."

"Can I go back to my game?" Carlos sighed when he saw that the mirror had zoomed out to show them the image of the Earth. "I'm on level tree, and honestly, this looks like it might take a while."

"Magic mirror, closer, _closer_-"

"There!" Mal exclaimed, holding one hand for everyone to remain quiet. "It's in a museum. Do we know where that is?"

Carlos typed the name of the museum into the computer Jay had gotten him, and then turned the screen towards them once he got the information needed. "2.3 miles from here."

Mal started to smile. _Finally_. "Come on, let's go-"

A knock on the door made them freeze.

Mal snapped her fingers at Jay and Carlos, the owners of the room, for them to answer the door. She hid her spell-book on her jacket and Evie moved her mirror back to her purse. Rebekah moved to stand between the girls as both boys moved towards the door.

"Hey, guys." It was Ben.

The five villain kids tensed. Had he heard them? Did he know they were up to something? Was he going to take them back to the Isle already?

He smiled when he noticed that the five of them were together, though his eyes settled on the amber-eyed girl. "There you are, Rebekah, I've been looking for you." He moved to hand her some papers, "Here, it's all done," and she realized it was her schedule.

Not knowing what to say- but feeling Mal's heated glance telling her to say _anything_ to get him to _leave_\- Rebekah muttered a: "Thanks. I thought Doug was supposed to be the one to give it to me."

Ben faltered for a moment, but didn't take it personal. "He was, but I wanted to give them to you myself, to have an opportunity to see if how you guys were, and if you had any complains or questions..." He trailed off, finishing with a smile in their direction once more.

"We're fine," Mal assured him, forcing a smile into her face, though it seemed like a grimace as her eyes widened for a moment. "We were actually just heading out to our dorms, since curfew starts soon."

"Without having dinner?" Ben raised his eyebrows. "Doug told me you five haven't gone to the cafeteria yet. Are you guys not hungry?"

Mal grew impatient. They _needed_ to go find the wand, they couldn't waste a second more talking to the future King.

Rebekah noticed, and decided to step in before the purple-haired girl could lose her already thin patience. She approached the future King with what she hoped was a polite smile, and started to lead him towards the door. "My friends aren't hungry, but I am. Perhaps you could go with me? I wouldn't want to be there all alone," She put on a vulnerable look, to make him believe she was shy, and his smile softened even more, if it was even possible.

"Of course, Rebekah. Let's go, we still have some time before curfew starts." He started to walk away with her, only to stop and glance back at the others. "Are you guys sure you don't want to come?"

The four forced smiles into their faces and shook their heads almost in sync. Sometimes the amber-eyed girl was surprised (and envious) of their connection to one another- it was obvious they'd been together for years, they were a real group, unlike some of the other gangs on their home. She wanted to be part of it, to feel needed somewhere, but she pushed those thoughts aside and concentrated on the situation at hand.

She had to make Ben leave the room so the others could escape.

"We're not hungry, you go on," Mal waved at them. "We'd rather go back to our dorms and rest a little. Big day tomorrow and all."

Once the Prince had turned his back to them, Rebekah looked at the others, mouthing them a message: _Find the wand, I'll keep him distracted_.

Mal nodded at her, approving of her quick reaction to what could've damaged their plans.

Rebekah glanced at Ben, who seemed genuinely happy that one of them had accepted to accompany him to have dinner, and she found herself unable to deny that he _really_ was cute. He noticed her eyes on him, and smiled, gesture that she found herself returning with one of her characteristic smirks.

_Let's get this started with,_ Rebekah thought wickedly. _The sooner they find the wand, the sooner I can find a way to dethrone Kuzco._


End file.
